STEM Storytime: Potions

The Saturday before Halloween, friends came to the library in costume to hear some Halloween stories and to mix up some potions. Using a dozen different kitchen and household liquids and powders with names like Mummy Dust, Swamp Slime, and Bloo Goo, young scientists in safety glasses filled pipettes and wooden spoons to mix up all sorts of concoctions in their clear cups. Sometimes there was a reaction between two ingredients that made the potions fizz or grow or change color. It was lots of icky, messy, magical potion fun!

There's a MONSTER at Storytime!

Because the end of October can be so spooooky, at Storytime this week we read about MONSTERS! First we heard about three young mice and one wise old mouse in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs by Sam McBratney. The young mice were curious to see what was so scary about the staircase they saw every day and convinced the old mouse to let them investigate. Go Away Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley showed a scary monster's face that appeared detail by detail as the pages were turned. In The Great Monster Hunt by Norbert Landa, a funny noise wakes up Duck who gets scared because the noise is coming from under her bed! We heard about another noise in Christopher Sat Straight Up in Bed by Kathy Long. We noticed it was a lot like the funny noise in the Monster Hunt story!

Then we made our own spooky monsters from circles, ovals, squares, triangles, and rectangles. We layered shapes to make creepy eyes and scary teeth. We folded long rectangles to make springy legs and arms. We added claws and paws and fingers.

Our youngest patron even came dressed in monster clothes...

but he was really an angel!

Fall Storytimes

The leaves are turning beautiful colors now, so it's time to read about fall! Here are a few of the books we read this week. Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson showed two mice having fun in all colors, sizes, and shapes of fall leaves. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert told about the life of a tree and how it changes with seasons. Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson is about a fox who thinks his favorite tree is in trouble when it begins to lose its leaves. Fletcher tries so hard to help his tree and doesn't realize that what happens is just part of nature.

Then we made trees with paper trunks and branches and lots and lots of colorful tissue paper leaves. Some made one big tree, others made two. Som embellished their work with fall stickers. Doesn't the table look like it's covered in beautiful fall colors?

Kindergarten Returns!

On a spectacular fall afternoon, kindergartners from New Hampton Community School walked down to the Gordon-Nash for a second visit.  First, we read The Great Monster Hunt by Norbert Landa, about Duck who heard a sound under his bed, and all the animal friends who he looked to for help. Then we talked more about choosing a good book and taking care of it when it's out of the library. While waiting for a turn to choose a book to take back to the classroom, each child colored a "monster" bookmark to bring home. Kids practiced sliding a paint stick (donated by R.P. Williams in Bristol) into the spot on the shelf next to a book they thought they might like to look at. If they decide not to borrow that book, the paint stick marked the spot where it belonged back on the shelf! Everyone chose a book to take back to their classroom, checked it out at the circulation desk, and slid it into Mrs. Bird's special library book bag. Before they left, we read Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, because we didn't have time to read it the last time! And it was funny, but not so creepy!

LEGO Club!

October was our first month for this year's LEGO Club. We had close to thirty kids each working to build a unique creation! Beginning with next month's meeting on November 15th, Mr. Dowal will again offer building techniques for those who want to learn about specific bricks and how they can make structures sturdy and intricate. Call the library for details!